Earthynn

Earthynn Online

You found some papers in the warehouse:
They are non-descipt, no official seals or anything. Two pages seem to be papers containing orders for a Captain Tyurk. They consist of a list of names and some notes.

-Ruiger, the Missing Arcanist, has been keeping his head low, the tieflings have a lead on him, bring in or eliminate him.

There are a handful of other people listed, most just sound like troublemakers or crooks. Most just listed as “eliminate unless deemed useful – use your discretion”. You do not recognize any of the other names.

The additional page is a requisition write-up from Captain Tyurk to his superiors, unfinished. Seems to be asking for a second squad under his command, also asks that perhaps an “akuma” or “outsider” under his command would be beneficial…looks like he was having difficulty coming up with a convincing arguments… lots of things scratched out.. mentions Brea would make a great permanent addition to his squad, then scratched out.

Its obvious that Ruiger is not used to such rough conditions, during your time in his hideout, he constantly complains about being cold, uncomfortable, or just about anything he can think of. He says there’s magic for these situations, but hes afraid of attracting unwanted attention just to heat up and dry off. It seems like he was “saving up” his complaints until there was someone who would listen to them. You know from your earlier conversation that he carries the title “Magus Extremis” within the Parliament Arcane, and was sent here on a mission… and he dislikes this city.

“Brea and Senni… hmmm… Well I can’t say I know them, but I know of them. They have quite a reputation in the Hole. Most people love them or fear them. From what I can gather they make a living keeping eyes on everyone and ratting people out to the Overseer’s Watch. Why others haven’t lynched them by now is a testament to just how good they are at controlling people in this city. No one messes with them, they work with them or for them, or they stay out of their way. Brea is, well, kind of a slut from what I hear, and she uses that to her advantage, one of her many weapons. But Senni, she’s the dangerous one… The one people seem to be the most afraid of. Apparently she is a powerful mage and has a very bad temper. From what I have observed, they both use borrowed power. As to why they are rounding people up… I guess its just to insure their secret, whatever it is… stays secret. They know that myself and my fellow magisters are here to investigate the city. Maybe they just don’t want anyone in the city with enough power to challenge them… whoever they are.”

“Now…ruins, landmarks, tombs?… hmmm, well, I spent very little time outside the walls, and when I did, I did not venture very far. Most of the people living here were born in the city, most the generations of folks who lived outside the walls are long gone, well…most. This is where most people took shelter during the Conjunction, it was one of the Parliament’s protected cities. And long before that is was a pirate city, set up as a place for privateers to hide out, there wasn’t much traipsing about in the wilderness then I’d imagine… The current generation, depending on race, of this city, are almost all born city dwellers. You recall your recent history right?”

Abraxus nods

“Hmm, well, it was the Parliament Arcane who kept most of the world alive during the Conjunction. Our magisters protected the great cities that still stand today. One such magister protected Fylles Haven, his name was Thallet Ruzenol. The city, even then, was so far from the rest of the civilized world, that the Parliament did not have a great presence in the city, and Thallet had set up shop there due to his… more radical… magical experiments. He was a standing member of our order, but not a stand up member, if you catch my meaning. When the Conjunction drew near, he – sod… this floor is so rutting cold, anyone have an extra blanket? – anyway…when the Conjunction drew near Thallet took it upon himself to protect the city, it was so distant from most of the Order, there was little that could be done. The Parliament could not bring enough power to bear on the city in time, so relying on Thallet was our only choice. But since the Conjunction, nothing has been heard from him, or any of his retainers or apprentices, servants… nothing. But there is a great power here that has been growing… and it was sensed by our more powerful prophetic magisters immediately after the Conjunction. Our immediate concern and inquiry was how Thallet did it. How he protected the city.. well.. er.. half of it anyway. Each city was protected in its own way, but those ways were known/discussed/decided upon by the arcanists in charge of the endeavor… Thallet did not reveal his plans to us. The Parliament just wants to know what is going on, and after seeing the current state of this city, they will only get more interested… I am thinking I should focus on getting out the city and report back what I do know… ummm…what did you ask me? Oh yeah, ruins and tombs! No…don’t know of any.”

“If anyone does, its the goliaths. From what I have gathered, they were well established in the area even before the Conjunction and were not associated with Fylles Haven, they were here before the city was established… the tribes were much smaller after the Conjunction, but they survived. They were dwelling up in the mountains… though from the stories I have heard… they say the land abandoned them. They say the Earth Mother doesn’t speak to them anymore. And not just them, I heard them speak of minotaurs, a small tribe of them that were distant allies of the goliath tribes, friendly rivals if you will… who confirmed, and also felt the Earth Mother’s absence. Well, after much time, when things finally solidified a bit, the tribes decided to get together for a great moot, or sorts, all their elders and shamans, wise ones , etc, traveled to a holy place for the meeting… and none of them returned… gone. vanished. leaving their peoples lost and leaderless… this is what eventually brought the goliaths into the city… though I hear most of the minotaurs left the island all together. There is bound to be some elder goliaths in the city who could point you in the right direction.”

“Holy sod, I have carried on long enough, you probably want to sleep… though how one sleeps on this blasted wet stone is beyond me….so I will.. – whats that? A plague? Oh my… * covers his mouth* … there’s a plague?!? Where did you get such and idea? No, I have not heard of any such thing…why do you ask? Now, I really should get out of this city…now there’s a gorram plague???"

“Well, whatever you’re doing here, or whoever you’re working for, best be careful. Members of the Watch were killed by someone, the tieflings were there as well… hell is going to break loose soon. I will need to continue hiding and moving about until I can procure a means of leaving the city… but I will check back here every few days. Leave a mark on the wall is you need to speak with me. Getting out will much harder than getting in, they knew we were here as soon as we stepped off the boat… have yet to figure out how they accomplished that…”

Earthynn Online - Fylles Hole Recap

After an interesting sea voyage, Captian Ursus of the Ice Raven dropped you off on the docks of Fylles Hole. You made your way to the Squid’s Lament where Throkas and the Master had rooms and food setup for you. You learned a few things about the area in your short stay in the city, number one being that the “Hole” is a lawless and treacherous nest of slime and corruption. The “Haven”, across the water, has been closed off to those in Hole since after the Conjunction. The Haven is pristine and home to the rich and powerful. The Overseer’s Watch (an “army” under the control of whoever controls the Haven) has been known to abduct anyone causing trouble, or anyone seemingly of importance/power.

The late night meeting with Sally proved enlightening. Sally revealed that she was under the effects of a geas, put upon her be a very powerful entity she encountered in some ruins far to the south. The geas tasked her with discovering the origin and hopefully cure for a disease. She was currently inflicted with the disease herself which gets better/worse as she gets closer/further from finding the answer, and would eventually kill her if not completed. The disease leaves her fairly weak, but since arriving on the island, she was feeling much better – leading her to believe what she was looking for was on the island – she was on the right track. The entity she spoke with had great powers of foresight and told her that the disease would one day sweep across the main continent from North to South if not stopped, killing millions. Unfortunately for Sally, this was not the only geas whose influence she was under. There was another placed upon her when she was young, given to her by “those who she hears.” The two tasks were not compatible, though both could more forward on the island. Sally hired you again, to take up her “disease” geas while she dealt with other matters over in the Haven. Sally’s research led her to believe there is a tomb, somewhere on the island, that may contain the information she seeks about the disease. You are to find the tomb, and “verify its contents.” She gave you a small velvet bag that contained a “means to contact her.” Throkas and Sally left shortly after the meeting on their way to the Haven.

Not long after, a group of goliaths, seemingly directed by a tielfing woman and her sister (Brea and Senni), came into the inn, looking for the Master. Battle ensued, all but one of the goliaths were killed and the tiefling escaped. You secured your prisoner and grilled him for some information upon his awakening in the morning His name was Pallar and he was hired to grab the blonde woman by Brea and Senni. In regards to the Tiefling sisters, he knew they had dealings with the Overseer’s Watch, but he was just hired to grab the woman and bring her to a place they designated. The Watch pays well for outsiders and those sisters seem to be good at sniffing them out. You also asked him if he knew of any tombs. He said he did not know of any tombs, but the elders and sunspeakers would, but they were long gone. In exchange for his life, Pallar agreed to lead you to the meeting spot. The ruined warehouse he led you to contained a contingent of the Overseer’s Watch (tossing alch. fire) and their Captain (with his flaming warhammer) and Brea, the Tiefling woman. Battle ensued and Brea fled again, this time you gave chase through the city streets. Lisvahk overshot her location and galloped off into the city getting way off track. The others eventually caught up with her, and after a tough battle (for our already tired heroes) you managed to defeat her. Brea had warned, before she fell, that her sister was on the way, and she would get revenge.

You were battered and Bloodied and sought shelter in a small building nearby, hiding Brea’s body and yourselves in the rubble and refuse. Stealth and some magic trickery kept you safe to catch your breathe while Senni, and some more of the Watch arrived on the scene. After they cleared off, you returned to the warehouse. Finding the bodies you left there already looted, you investigated the inside of the warehouse. To your surprise there were two men, tied up in the corner. You set them both free, including one thug-like man who took off right away after saying he was there to “steal food from them”. The other man thanked you for the rescue and introduced himself as Ruiger, Magus Extremis of the Parliament Arcane. He and his two companions had been attacked a few weeks ago after arriving in the docks, he was the only one to escape. He had been hiding out ever since, talking to people, gathering information, trying to find any info he could about his companions (also members of the Parliament Arcane.) He found a ruined building near the city wall that he used as a semi-regular hideout. He led you guys there, and you settle in for a much needed rest.

Perseverance
One adventure involved escorting a group of Falledge’s merchants and craftsmen, up through the mountain passes. The trip was to be very profitable, but transporting all of their goods was a tedious and dangerous task. On the way, the caravan was attacked by dwarven and human brigands riding dire boar mounts which had to be fought off. Their armor was emblazoned with a crude symbol resembling a predatory bird head with a rune of some kind behind it. During the battle Gramorn Samulkin, a dwarven merchant and head of one of the most prominent families in Falledge, was lost down a deep crevasse. With the caravan safe for the moment the search began until Samulkin’s body was found, engulfed in a large tomb spider’s web. The party found themselves surrounded by a vile group of giant arachnids, poison dripping from their fangs. Though the group managed to fell many of the vile creatures, they were hoplessly outnumbered and were forced to flee without recovering Samulkin’s body nor the ancient family crest that he proudly had worn around his neck. After a rest, the caravan continued on its way.

Deception Indeed
Upon reaching the city of Rostundarum, the party encountered the dwarven mob boss, Adin Darmek, who hired the party to kidnap Vonin Orbek, one of his rivals, forcing them to alter their plans. After speaking to Orbek, Darmek’s plans began to become clear… to wring the location of an artifact, known as the Scepter of Deception, out of Orbek. Orbek’s men had found the artifact, knew of its power, but planned to simply sell it to the highest bidder. Darmek planned to use the artifact’s abilities to make a grab for power in the region and the party was forced to intervene, capturing Darmek and delivering him to the authorities. The scepter is now locked in the city vault. Returning to Falledge was then very challenging. Despite the fact that they had put a stop to the mad man’s push for power, his underlings and even Orbek’s men (still annoyed at the loss of profit) sought revenge. The party endured several assassination attempts as they traveled.

Desperation
A week later, Fenys, one of the town’s best trappers, did not return home. He was last seen wandering aimlessly just outside of town near the northwestern edge of the Northwinter woods. The party ventured in and found that Fenys had been ensorcelled by a nymph. Fenys explained that Cayde had told him stories of a magical tomb, hidden within a mysterious ravine known as the “Geunant Dirgel” that could revive the dead. Fenys sought the tomb in hopes of healing his dying wife, who not even Mathrin could heal. Eventually, he was able to locate “Geunant Dirgel”, but a wandering nymph attacked him. Fenys convinced the party to help him find the tomb and heal his wife.

As the group descended into “Geunant Dirgel”, they encountered and dispatched the unholy guardians of the tomb, a pair of mummy guardians. Inside, the adventurers found an arcane laboratory of sorts, containing various manuscripts, books, and other artifacts. In the center of the tomb was a large stone sarcophagus. Among the research and writings of a wizard called, Ezra Glavin, the party discovered that it was actually the shroud contained within the sarcophagus that bestowed the healing. Bayros discovered that the shroud was lent to one of the elders of Rostundarum, a Dwarf named of Brekkin Tripel-Ale. Hassinzazi found reference to a magical skeleton key thought stolen by a famous halfling thief, named Ishtok Squirreltale. Unfortunately, the party wasn’t able to find the key and the missing shroud in the tomb, so the party returned to Falledge. As soon as they returned, Vimak healed Fenys’ wife.

Leaving Murasha you travel back to Seaburgh for rest, recuperation, and research. The citizens greet you warmly. Conversations are exchanged. The time flies by and the hour to depart arrives. The conjured steeds run through the woods with ease and the familiar river-side trek flies by. Parts of the route along the river are familiar, but your footsteps here seem like so long ago. The days are spent in phantom saddles, and the evenings in ritual books (for some). Orcs are spotted in the woods, more frequently than you’d like; however, they seem to be keeping to their own devices. Upon reaching the swamps you come across and old goblin village, now deserted. Swamps give way to hills and fields as Munstonville comes into view. As you ride through the pastures the distant mountains that wall off the sea become visible. The sheep greet you before the shepherds do. The warm hearth and mutton stew at the Sheep-Town Tavern makes for a pleasant stop-over. Tales and bag-pipes fill the air of the dining hall this evening, a nice break from crickets and ritual books.

Another days travel north you find the road. An odd sight this road, and one you have not really encountered before. It seems well traveled, and as much as a medieval road can be, maintained. Travel along the road is quite easy and the refreshing sight of new scenery is welcome. Expanses of scrub-land, scattered patches of forest, and increasing hills fill your vision as you ride north. It is not long before you encounter the Highwaymen. The first such Triad you meet are heading south along the road. The three well armed men make a point of stopping in the road as you approach almost forcing you to stop and meet them or take your steeds off the road. They wear well-worn chain-mail and carry broad swords and crossbows. Only one of them speaks to you, he wears his authority with much pride. They are pleasant enough, but very inquisitive as to your comings and goings. They do not dwell after asking their questions, and continue their ride.

The following day the city comes into view, but not before it’s people do. Numerous smaller roads join the main, and seem to be organized into a regular pattern. Wagons of agricultural goods enter onto the path, eager to be on their way to the markets of Gehrbonne. The people are in good enough spirits. Dragonborn and Tieflings are known, but rare, so you draw gazes from most of the common folk. Most will offer a greeting, some ask questions. Humans, halflings, and half-elves make up the majority of the folk you encounter. Some appear just to be travelers while others are obviously traders. Your steeds outpace the wagons, mules, and riding horses you encounter on the road so your meetings are short. As the city draws closer the Highwaymen triads become more common, they ride at night as well as the day, always in groups of three men. You pass and are approached by several more, all of whom make a point of stopping to ask you questions. Most inquiries involve who you are, where you come from, and what your business in the city is. They do not seem ill-intended or wishing to impede your progress, but seem more interested and making their presence known.

Encased in massive walls of stone, said to have been enchanted by the Parliament Arcane prior to the Conjunction, the city of Gehrbonne appears in the distance. A massive city that seems to have spilled over its walls like a pot boiling over. There are residences hugging the walls as far as you can see in either direction. Numerous tall buildings peak over the tops of the walls, varying in height and design, creating a complicated and confusing silhouette. People mill about all over, running good to and fro, riding toward and away the city. More races become prevalent as you near the city, dwarves, gnomes, elves, and even the occasional half-orc and goliath mill about. The gates of the city are very well patrolled and monitored. The massive gates are open as you approach the city in the early evening. You pass beneath the stone arch that spans the gate, and the great iron teeth of the two portcullises reach done from the stone threateningly. The noise and lights of the city wash over you…

Gehrbonne is a city. A city with people. Lots of people. The interior of the city is a complicated juxtaposition of elaborate classical architecture and hastily created jury-rigged residences. The city was meticulously planned out and structured in its early days, based on a circular core with an outer ring. The Core of the city holds the university, the manor houses of the more affluent members of the city, government buildings, the towers of the Parliament Arcane, and military complexes. The inner side of the ring holds industry, while the outer edge hold residences. There are roads outlying the ring on both side granting easy access to any area of the city. At least in the old days…

Now the city is overcrowded. Gehrbonne was the only safe haven in the area during the Conjunction, but did not have the space to hold the amount of people who flocked to its walls for protection. They took in everyone though, turning no one away. The Parliament Arcane’s magics held and the city was protected from the turmoils outside its walls. In order to accommodate the people, new residences had to be constructed. They were built atop existing residences, some precariously so. Alley’s and streets became filled with hasty structures, often a couple stories tall. A large portion of the people left the city once things were safe outside, but the city’s population is still brimming over. There is a constant influx of new people seeking residence.

There are cloaked figures, in dark blue robes, accompanying some of the Highwaymen within the city. Triads with one of these men do not take time to stop and talk. There are shops that sell magic items, but not many. All of them are regulated by the Parliament Arcane and found within the Core of the city. In the markets there may be the occasional odds-and-ends of a magical nature, but they are rare. When selling magical items you are questioned as to the items origins and creation, where you acquired it, etc… The market district is quite booming, goods of all kind and from all over are sold here. Many people travel here just to sell their goods in these markets. There are street performers and peddlers walking about, eager to take peoples coin. And the Highwaymen keep a ever present vigil.

The people of the city seem to be in generally positive temperament. You hear people talk of the local merchants raising prices to high, and the price of honey has skyrocketed (only the rich seem able to afford it these days).

There are three inns/taverns of note. The Soaring Gryphon Tavern caters to locals, good food and atmosphere. It gets its name from the giant wooden gryphon carving that hangs over the bar. The Hero’s Lodge caters more to adventurers and travelers. And if you’re looking for a more ribald crowd, there’s the Sleepy Cat Inn. Once a reputable establishment, it is now is a “hot spot” for the seemy underbelly of the city. All but the Sleepy Cat are found in the residential “ring” of the city. The Sleep Cat is in the Core. You do find out that there is a Dwarven micro-brewery in the market district, deemed Rock Hard Ales. Their beers and ales are made only for trade, they don’t have a dining room/bar; however, the dwarves in the area swear by the quality… “Rock Hard but goes down Smooooth”… its pricey though.

You are able to purchase five Lvl 5 Healing potions. The potion vendor/alchemist will not have any more until next week. His supplies/materials/reagents are all regulated. He is the best alchemist in the city, so he says (His name is Pellonius Tarr). You are able to buy a Blessed Book if you wish but it is 20 gp more expensive (380). Upon purchase you are asked if you are a registered practitioner with the Parliament Arcane (they get better prices). There are no generic ritual components for sale. Only Residuum is for sale, but in very low quantities. You could maybe acquire 15 gold worth with some scrounging about. (The alchemist mentions that residuum is the most highly regulated substance in the city.)

The group of intrepid adventurers made their way toward Castle Ambriel (known locally as the “sunken castle”) The terrain as they approached the castle was even more ruined than the rest of the city and the ground was broken and cracked. The roads and buildings actually seem to have been sucked down into a giant sink hole where the castle used to stand. Looking down the 100ft hole, the castle ruins lay at the bottom. The party ties a rope and begins their descent. Some members climbed, some members were lowered down, others jumped… with mixed results. The descent was not without peril as obsidian gargoyles attacked the party with ferocity as they dangled like bait on a hook.

Upon reaching the bottom they gazed upon the castle, fully intact and standing proud beneath a starry sky. They found themselves in the Shadowfell. Venturing inside the stalwart warriors encountered visions of great floods, distraught mobs of people, and destruction. A magic shield was plucked from the wreckage of a smithy and the party went forthwence towards the stables. A sickly hippogriff, chained down amid swarms of scarabs, was rescued and befriended during a fervent battle with the swarms and a mighty umberhulk. Some lengths of old chain and a couple locks are scavenged and hoarded.

Keeps in the Shadowfell

Exploring the three round keeps they discovered several storage rooms filled with sacks… one was magical. Proceeding towards the blocky square keep the party searched it thoroughly encountering the remnants of the castle guard, who after ringing the warning bell, became ghouls and attacked the party. Magic armors are found and donned in the armoury. The explorers continued and then ventured atop the walls and entered the main keep. The top floors held living quarters, including the Lord’s bedchamber where his ghostly image gazed into a ghostly mirror before vanishing. His large wedding painting leaned against the wall, gathering dust. At the apex of the great keep the ghostly image appeared again, this time Lord Ambriel was the Lord of the Dance and he sashayed with the ghostly image of Shillastre the Multifacted, a woman who was most assuredly, not his wife. Venturing further into the keep a secret room was found, filled with a magical cracked mirror and a living treasure chest.

The Lady of the House is Home

Taking the stairs down the party entered the great hall. Images of a dinner party danced in the heads only to be replaced by a scene of a crowd watching the entrance of a stately woman to court, only to be replaced by a dark black fire burning in the center of the room. An old woman, the aged form of the Lord’s wife sits in a throne on the dais. Painting depicting Shillastre and her tower adorn the walls, and group of Dark Creepers hide amid the room. The altar is revealed as the Altar of Shadowfire and the wife is revealed as a hag. A conversation of sorts happens, and references to the Betrayer and the Betrothed expressed the hag-ified Lady Ambriel’s hatred for everything, with an emphasis on Shillastre the Multifaceted.. She reveals the mirror’s purpose, transportation, and also that she is not powerful enough to fix it. The conversation is followed by battle. The heroes are victorious once again. Exploring the kitchen and the chapel some valuable wine is found in a secret stash. and some magic robes are discovered and worn.

Prison Break

Heading to the lower levels some store rooms and servants quarters give way to dungeons. Ghostly guards begin screaming of a prisoner escape before attacking. The old disgruntled minotaur jailor and spirits of the former prisoners join the fray. The displaced souls of the tortured possessed some of heroes in attempt to lock them away, but their minds were too strong. The wrenched victory from the enemies before them. The only other passage was down the well. The deep well led into a large open chamber full of water. Shark infested water. Using rituals and ingenuity the party ventured below and slew the evil fish. Exploration further down the underground river proved difficult.

Marresk saved the day.

Dealing with Demons

Returning to the castle, venturing outside, coercing the hippogriff to follow, climbing back up the rope, the party found themselves in a city. One with dark empty buildings, but buildings still standing under a starry sky. They were still in the Shadowfell, their forms having become attuned to the realm were unable to cross back over. Searching about the shadow-city the made their way to the library amid alleyways filled with spider webs. They were not the only ones seeking its knowledge that day. Gultreax the Vrock, previously freed by the party’s good will, rummaged through the remains of the structure. A dialogue began, and ended with a deal. Gultreax would provide them passage back to Earthynn and they would do a boon for him. They agreed to slay the Sewer Lord before two phases of the moon passed. Gultreax conducted his ritual as a myriad of spidery creatures attacked. The party valiantly defended the Vrock from the arachnid terrors, and upon completion of the portal conjuring, dived through and returned home.

After arming the people of seaburgh and pointing them toward the future, Tannim set out to rejoin his compatriots. An encounter with a fly-by Vrock and a party of foul, relentless orcs did not slow his progress. Upon reaching the ruined city, the intrepid dragonborn descended into the depths of the ruined city. Following the trail of his companions he went ever further into the depths… The soggy form of a gnoll was discovered, branded with the symbol of Rothn and stabbed with the triple threat of a trident. Further along in the moist tunnels, the dragonborn discovered some foul fishmen…

While resting in the Duergar Theurge’s “lab” the party did some light reading… discovering some facts about Murasha’s underground denizens. On some secret pages, there was a log of people who had met with the Sewer Lord: The Emissary, Illusule, Gultreax, Gloombrood the Black, and others… (I’ll put the full list up later, my notes aren’t handy) just at the end of their rest, the Chime of Awakening awokened the party. A lone sahuagin crawled on his hands and knees in the gloomy hallway. The fishman was inscribing slimy runes on the hallway floor. The runes were trapped, alarms and acid tied into the ancient slimy symbols. The party easily supressed the foul fish magic. Older passageways were blocked by oceans so It was onto the former mud room, which appeared to be leaking…

Crocodile Rock

The former “mud and water-trap” room was now flooded with water, and crocodiles. The vents were on full blast and the water rained down upon the room like a dark mirror of the storms raddling the city above. Even when flanked by enemies on both sides the sahuagin and their reptilian friends attacked with ferocity. The sahuagin priest attempted to bring to bear his horrible magics; however, the party smote him before the foul incantations could pass his scaly lips. The crocodile made their best attempts to feast on the party with their vice-like jaws. The reptiles were dispatched with ease.

This hyena is not laughing

The party ventured back to the old watchtowers and returned to the storm soaked surface. After traipsing about the ruins for a while in search of the Library, they stumbled upon an old fountain and the giant stone head of Rothn (the statue, not the god). A lone hyena sniffed about the fountain, minding his own business, just trying to make his way in this harsh world. The adventurers would have none of that this day. They brought about the poor defenseless hyena’s demise with casual ease. Approaching the scene they spied signs of gnoll-ish encampment surrounding the area. The party took what was of use and while searching the buildings discovered a gnoll, clutching something tightly, sitting next to a trash hole. Dyrge’s diplomacy burned like wildfire… but the stubborn and scared gnoll would not give up his Onyx Dog. The party wrestled with him and stole it away… but when they wrestled with their collective conscious… they lost. The wretched creature warned his pack would be returning, and would deal with them. The gnoll’s prize was eventually returned to him. They opted not to go in the hole and continued onward.

Silence in the Library

Proceeding onto the library, the stalwart explorers found the cathedral-like structure mostly intact. A large magically warded door blocked their path, so they went in the back way – except for Rothak, who went up on the roof to scout it the interior, and promptly fell to the rough streets below. The back room was eerily (and magically) silent, and a few kenku and a destrachan milled about, unaware of their impending doom. The party charged in and killed the beasts with relative impunity. Moving on into the main hall of the library they battled more kenku, and after some fabulous horn blowing, they battled the fearsome feminine forms of three furious harpies. Burning and Entrancing Songs filled the room as the harpies shrieked and sang their way into the fray. The lesser bird ladies lured and repulsed the party to and fro as the burning harpy belched blue flames; however, all was for naught. Their feathery female hides were destroyed beneath the party’s powerful blows.

Delving into the library’s depths the party discovered, oddly enough, books. A few tales penned by Barnaby Biggums, some works on selling fruit, some studies on arcana and religion, and a variety of others. The knowledge imparted by these books… may save the world one day. They also discovered the office of the Librarian, who turned out to be a devout follower of the Patheon of Four, and a devout “follower” of Shillatre the Multifaceted. By reading the kenku-feather bookmarked passages in the Librarian’s journal they also found out about a Tome owned by Shillatre. This tome seemed to create a magical connection between the two and could provide a means to enter Shillastre’s tower. The Librarian treasured it and kept it always in his possession. But the Tome was not to be found in the library.

The adventurers decided to search out the Librarian’s home, to the north of the city. As the rain continued to pour, they found his residence, routed through it, and found only more religious paraphernalia strewn about his simple home. Perhaps the Temple is the answer?

Pack Attack

The journey south toward the Temple was not without incident. A scouting pack of gnolls was almost upon them, so they fled to the confines of an old structure. The gnolls had their hyenas at the front and they quickly smelt out the smelly group of adventurers. Battle was joined. Marresk and Nowhere hurried out the back to try and flank the gnolls, while the others ventured out the front to engage the gnolls head on. The gnolls proved to be a challenge as their pack tactics worked to their advantage. Dyrge’s rousing voice and songs spurred the party to greatness as his curses demoralized their foes. Tannim’s fiery presence tuned their senses and tactics to a razor edge. Marresk took care of the archers, one bow at a time. Nowhere blasted the canine creatures to chaos and back. Rothak weathered the claws, teeth and weapons of the gnolls proudly. Bartok lurked in the shadows. In the end, the party stood tall and their enemies fell short. The Temple of the Four awaited.

A Babe, a Bird, and a Brain walk into a temple…

The huge open air temple loomed ahead. There were massive columns supporting a ceiling that arched over the broken remnants of four huge statues. With some careful scouting some Kenku were spied milling about inside. The party approached and dealt with the kenku. It was then that a section of the temple moved and a stairway was revealed. Three forms ascended. A familiar gnome rogue floated up the stairs, being carried by a hovering, beaked, tentacle-wielding brain, and lastly; a young half-elf woman. She wore a form-fitting midnight blue dress adorned with hand-sewn, shiny, silvery stars. Her blond hair was loosley tied back with purple ribbon, and she carried numerous packs, sachels and pouches stuffed with magical trinkets. Her elaborate dagger rested fitfully in its sheath. Her faintly glowing lavender eyes only added to her beauty. She focused them on the party as a smile spread across her lips. The mistress of the Kenku, the mysterious “She” they had been seeking for so long, was now before them. She greeted them warmly, only to be interrupted by the fiery furor of Tannim. Such despicable monstrosities would not be tolerated. Battle was the only language he chose to speak at this time. The woman and her companions fiercely fought the party, and the woman did her best to teleport her foes into the waiting grasp of the Grell while avoiding danger herself. Despite her curses, it was not long before the young lady stood alone, her foul and feathered friends dead. She did not seem worried, and was actually impressed. But a little sad for her Grell… he had been with her for a long time.

Second star on the right and straight on till insanity

Sally Starlyte introduced herself. Introductions were the first step in a civilized discourse after all. The conversation was informative, but straining on the party. She was rational, polite… but not quite sane. Tempers flared, passions inflamed, arguments argued. Tannim could not tolerate the corruption and Rothak could not tolerate her despoiling of the natural world. But before they attacked anew, they discovered some things. She had been using the kenku to spy on the area, but otherwise left them to their own devices. Sally had Shillastre’s Tome, and a way into the tower. Her power came from those who spoke to her. Walking out of the Temple she pointed to a single star, the voices came from “that one right there”. They appeared to be at an impass… some of the party thought she should be destroyed, other felt now was not the time. Those set on violence attacked the young woman, and she defended herself by tossing a dark green stone on the ground. The stone shattered in crack of thunder and two blue worms appeared, Gricks. Sally blasted forth some dazzling starlight that blinded her adversaries. During the time their allies were blind, Marresk, Nowhere and Dyrge managed to diffuse the situation. Sally agreed to stop sending kenku to Seaburgh (though she seemed to believe most has been destroyed already, the roost had been discovered) and called off her Gricks. She departed, her form cloaked in shadows as she scurried off. One more thing was left to puzzle out – the weird green stone she shattered on the ground was the same as the ones set into the Seaburgh Stone Amulets that the party were given many weeks ago by Clara Clove…

Into the Depths

After a short “stint” back in Seaburgh, the explorers ventured back to the ruined city of Murasha.

Scavenging from the Scavengers

The party returned to the old watch towers to begin their trek below grounds to find the “Sewer Lord”. Before entering the tunnels; however, a noise drew their attention. Some odd undead creatures(witherlings) with hyena skulls for heads and antlers for claws, had discovered the dead kenku and were rooting through their tower looking for “raw” materials. The party scaled the outside of the tower and and began making their way down inside the former “tower of death”. A lone witherling stood in the room, and upon being engaged, let out a horrible withering shriek. Soon other witherlings were crawling in the windows and a foul specter appeared to feast on the anguish of the living. The unlife of their foes was snuffed out with ease by the adventurers.

Upon heading into the depths of the ruins of Murasha the party discovered the moist underground of the city to be a complex web of dripping tunnels. Tracks of strange reptiles are found and subsequently followed. A tunnel leading downward lured them into the deep underground of the city… water, muck and danger became ever more prevalent.

River Crossings

One tunnel that is stumbled upon is completely flooded… an underground river of storm water. The party set a rope across the expanse to aid in swimming. All is fine until Nowhere begins his trek across. The reptiles they had tracked down here made their appearance. Many foul bloodthirsty sahuagin, thirsty for foul blood emerged from their watery hidey holes. battle ensued, some of these fish/lizard people were stronger than others, but all seemed to get excited and crazed at the sight of blood in the water. These fish-people were handily defeated.

Forest spirits were summoned and chimes were set as sleep overtook them…

Dark Rooms with Dark Dwarves

Delving further into the sewers, newer non-reptilian humanoid tracks were uncovered, and deeper in the party discovered a lone sahuagin sentry. The sahaugin relaxed, staring longingly at his pearl until… Bartock. The master of stealth, crept up to him… only to fall on his face, spoiling the fish-man’s peacefully pearly thoughts. The battle began and led them into a room where a narrow bridge traversed a muddy pit full of a mudlasher and his mud. A dark skinned dwarf hid behind the far door taking pot shots at his foes. The reptilians, elementilian and duergarian were all defeated. A key was discovered with a fish head design…

Two passageways lain before them, and they took the left…

A series of rooms were found including an armory… and a room with fish heads in the walls. The sahuagin inside were dispatched and the room’s diabolical trap was tampered with. The carved fish heads would spew no drowning torrents this day… (or were at least be slowed in doing so…) Beyond, in another room, a weird drainage room is found… three portals lead out, one completely hidden in darkness, the others holding sahuagin and dripping water into a strange pool in the room’s center. Duergar milled about the room, including Rumdax, Duergar Champion.

Draconic Dialogues

After a short discourse with Rumdax, the Sewer Lord decided to show herself. Her long reptilian head snaked out of the dark portal and her black scales seemed to suck in the light around her. The black dragon came partially out of her hole to talk and a few things were revealed by the party’s discussion with the dragon. The kenku roost is most likely in the old harbor district of the city, a fact the dragon had been seeking, the crows were a nuisance to her. She had held an audience with the “vulture” but the crows have yet to make it to her… she knows nothing of their mistress and did not seemed worried abut her, despite Dyrge’s emphatic explanations of her power. The exchange of information continued… there may be “keys” or “methods” to get into the tower of Shillastre the Multifaceted… one may be in the library and one may be in the “sunken castle”. Once the dragon’s exchange was complete, she departed back into her hole. Her champion chose to continue the discussion with aggressive negotiations. During the battle, Rumdax was knocked into the acid pool by the mighty Golaith, but it didn’t seem to phase him. and upon reaching a bloodied state he grew to a massive size…and layeth’d some smack down. In the end, he was still defeated. The party’s power was… that great. Watching eyes, hiding in the darkness, took note…

Dangerous Dark Duergarian Liasons

The other path of tunnels led to a series of sleeping chambers and at the end of the hallway, an alchemical workshop of sorts. This was no empty hallway though, for more foul duergar filled it with their dark bulks. They were led by a theurge of the female persuasion and assisted by a mantle of the dark persuasion. In the end, only the dark mantle was standing… and it was quickly dispatched. After copious looting, the party hunkered down in the room… resting for what may lay ahead.

Spending a couple of days in town, the party of adventurers did some sleuthing about Seaburgh following up on some rumors…

It turns out the woods to the east of Seaburgh have been lacking in game lately. There were signs of other creatures hunting in the woods and it was found out that some primitive humanoids were out and about in the woods… hunting carelessly. An arrow belonging to these hunters was found, a bit primitive in design, but still effective. A couple of men who worked down in the shipyards had gone missing. Word was that they simply vanished; unusual for these men who were often reliable laborers. Food and offerings had been stolen from the temple and Delvessa, the clergywoman, was a bit disturbed by it. Upon investigating, sharp golaith eyes discovered the traces of a black feather in the temple, signs of some old feathered friends. The gnome prisoner (Flenn) drew much talk in Seaburgh, and Constable Walt had a tough time figuring out what to do with a “real” criminal. Meanwhile, during this time, Nowhere was sitting and chatting with Loni, the oldest citizen of Seaburgh, an ancient half-elf man who in his youth, actually lived in the great port of Murasha, before its downfall…

And then the always troubling news of the price of honey skyrocketing… as there was still no sign of any bees…

Early morning temple troubles

It was decided that the feathery thief who was harassing the temple needed to be dealt with, so the party spent the evening staking out the temple, waiting for any signs of the foul bird. The morning came, as did the mayor, Clara Clove, and Delvessa, on their way to morning devotions. The sunrise also brought out a Kenku Assassin stalking his prey. The assassin struck out from his hiding place and shot the mayor with his poisoned bow – and the party sprang into action! The kenku proved more wily than the rest of his kin, and danced among the adventures with ease, even getting to strike down the clergywoman as well. His pets soon appeared to lend him aid, two triangle-mouthed, reptilian dimensional marauders. Despite being stabbed, bitten, and having reality warped around them, the party was victorious. The kenku assassin lay bleeding, but alive. The mayor and clergywoman were healed and revived by the stalwart bard. Reviving and questioning the defeated killer crow, the party discovered his plan. The Kenku assassin was chosen to be a distraction, to keep the party’s attention directed on him while his “flock” did their work.

It was a jailbreak! The Kenku flock had sprung into the constable’s office, and broke the gnome out of his cell while the explorers were busy in the center of town. Jann, the guard on duty, informed the party that the birds were not rescuing the gnome from his imprisonment, but kid-napping him. The dead kenku lying in the cell was evidence to the gnome’s reluctance to be “freed” by the dirty humanoid birds.

There were tracks and signs of the “flock” leaving town with their prisoner…

Taxation without representation

Tracking the kenku through the forest the adventurer’s discovered crossing tracks of humanoids, and their awareness thusly became heightened. That evening as they camped they were approached by a trio of Orcish hunters. But these were no mere hunters… they were also fearsome tax collectors. They belonged to a tribe that served King Drooj, the Ogre they had encountered previously. Their tribe would soon be arriving in force, and cementing Drooj’s power over the land. Insults were exchanged, but the orcs demanded their taxes. The party deployed deceptions to confuse the orcs and sow doubt in their hearts. They told them a tale of serving Drooj, and that they were currently on a secret mission for him. Orcish minds were wavering… The orcs then told their own tale, one of a mighty bear with feathers that had killed several of their party. If these warriors would aid them in killing this beast, they would waive their taxes…for now. The party agreed, but insisted it wait until after they completed their mission. Orcish minds reluctantly agreed.

Between a rock-inducing chicken and a soft-place

The group then departed and arrived at the edge of the ruins of Murasha. The Kenku tracks had led them to the ruins of a broken gate with two crumbling watchtowers formerly connected by an archway and portcullis. The south tower was almost entirely gone, the northern one only missing its top, though still in bad shape. The rogue-ish halfling of the party did some sleuthing, and scaled the remnant of the old city wall. He peered over and into the top of the aforementioned tower to see what lurked within… a variable number of kenku, some bird cages, and a large blue-ish bird creature. A way into this tower was needed since the door below on street level had been sealed up.

The party decided to investigate the south tower, and within its ruined shell and ruble strewn interior they located a poorly concealed trapdoor leading down. Upon entering the tunnel below they discovered it split in two directions. One led into an underground complex (possibly the ancient sewers of Murasha) and the other ran into a chamber below the north tower. The way in they had been seeking it seemed… They ventured into the chamber beneath the kenku’s tower and investigated the trapdoor that loomed down at them from the ceiling, the only way upwards. It appeared to be oddly hinged… Travel down the other direction of the tunnel proved even more odd, as the tunnel was soon found to be filled with a giant cube of acidic gel. A gant cube of acidic gel, that was hungry. The gelatinous cube proved to be a formidable foe, engulfing its adversaries readily… its acidic gooyness clinging to their stalwart armors. The battle with the cube (and the dwarf bards string of mind crushing curses) alerted the kenku above, who chose to drop one of their caged pets down through the door to do their dirty work. The rickety wooden cage smashed on the floor and a reptilian-chicken creature, half-starved and angry, faced off against the party. The mighty druid held the bird off, resisting its petrificating beak, while the rest of the party finished with the gelatinous cube. The unethical treatment the kenku had thrust upon this death chicken was not enough for the party to take pity on the cockatrice… and they smote it with their mighty blades.

The party then fled down the other passage, and took time within the ancient sewer tunnels to rest.. before they returned to take on the flock of Kenku.

The Tower of Death

First thing they noticed upon returning to the trapdoor… was that it was truly a trapped door. The evil birds had placed a large stone atop it, primed to crush the unwary who opened the door from below. The dungeoneering party’s strength and ingenuity bypassed the trap, and the party climbed into the ancient watchtower. Floor one held some storage crates, discarded clothing, old food… and stairs leading up to a sleeping chamber. This floor held some straw mats, lots of feathers and kenku droppings, and two sleeping kenku. The rogue and druid crept silently up the stairs. Silent as mice, preparing to dispatch their foes quietly the two moved into position over their victims, at which point, the rogue tripped. The kenku awoke and battle ensued, but the party defeated the birds quickly. Searching about they discovered some coin, and some magic odds and ends including a stone tile with a “magic mouth” upon it.

Again the rogue ventured fourth to peer ahead, climbing the next set of stairs. This being the top floor, the old crumbling walls opened to the dark morning sky and the ever present rains of Murasha. The halflings keen eyes deciphered a kenku Wing Mage milling about, and many other Kenku.. a couple cages held large birds of prey, and a large foul blue-feathered vulture-creature slumped in the center of the room. The rogue returned and reported his sightings and a devious plan was formulated by the adventurers. The tower was then promptly filled with traps. All manner of painful contraptions were carefully conjured including trip wires, broken glass strewn on stairs, piles of flammable materials stashed in secret places. Then the party took cover on the bottom floor to wait for the flock. Rags on the upper floor were lit aflame and the resultant smoke lofted up drawing the unwary crow creatures downward… to their demise. By the time the first and last waves of Kenku reached the bottom of the tower they were battered and bloodied (literally) by the party’s traps and were easily dispatched. Time passed, a waiting game was played.

It was then, the party decided they would need to make the next move. The flock’s ranks were thinned, it was time to clear the crown of this foul tower.

If this ritual is a rockin’...

The party climbed up to the top, avoiding/disarming their own traps and Bartok scouted ahead. He climbed the stairs stealthily, and ran right into the stealthed kenku who was keeping watch for them…both were oblivious and nearly ran into each other. The battle began. Two kenku Wing Mages were up top, one off the side of the tower on a fragment of the old wall. His attention was not focused on the battle, but intent on his arcane ritual, a ritual in progress. The other Wing Mage used his Force magic to throw the party back down the stairs. Kenku minions closed in, and one ran to free the Blood Hawks they had imprisoned releasing the raptors into the fray. The large demonic creature, a Vrock, crouched uncomfortably and scowled at all around him. The mighty warden charged in with the Vrock and the despicable demon proved a formidable foe. The hawk’s fly by attacks tore at the enemies of their masters while the kenku closed in for the kill… But the party was wily. They discovered the kenku conducting the ritual, they spied the arcane runes carved into the walls of the tower, observed the Vrock’s foul temperament, and putting the pieces together, they began to decipher the nature of the events at hand. The Vrock was being summoned and imprisoned by the ritual; held against his will. Nowhere’s arcane knowledge allowed him to assert his will into the ritual, and force its outcome… Dyrge also discovered the walls holding the symbols were weakened by age and weather.. and could be broken, thus breaking the ritual circle. The bloodied party chose to alter the ritual to free the Vrock…and succeeded. The foul demon screeched a mighty scream at the sky, all his hatred for the world let loose, thus stunning all in their tracks. It then proceeded to reap vengeance on the kenku who held him there, eating him wholly. The birds, humanoid or otherwise, were dispatched, and the Vrock flew off into the sky over the ruins… a demon let loose in the world of men.

The Owlbear Necessities

Recovered from their turmoil in the tower, the adventurers had a deal to uphold. They met the orcs outside the cave of the Owlbear and prepared for battle. The orcs stood their distance and prepared to provide archery support. The land was wooded, and congested making movement tight and difficult. This was a mighty foe, and they party closed in on the cave. They lured out the owlbear with music… and before he was barely out of the cave, he was beset upon by the party. Orcish arrows rained down, and the feathery bear was flanked and attacked on all fronts. They hindered the beast greatly in the early moments of the fight and put a great deal of wounds upon its foul hide; although, once the owlbear was free it ripped the goliath in half. Claw. Claw. Action Point. Bite. The warden fell… the party surged onwards and the rousing words of the bard returned the goliath to the battle. The fight was hard, but in the end, the bird-beast fell. They earned a bit of treasure and a bit of respect from some orcs… a job well done. King Drooj will be proud.

Questions remain unanswered… the gnome was not found, the magic mouth has not yet spoken its message, and an audience with King Drooj awaits.

The Rescue of Thri Flamebeard

Earthynn Adventure Log 2 – The Rescue of Thri Flamebeard

A Brief Breakfast

The party enjoyed a tasty breakfast of fish muffins and squid bacon , rested and recuperated from the previous trials… when a grizzled man and his large grizzled companion entered the tavern. The man introduced himself as Charleston, the finest archer, and lead hunter in Seaburgh. His aged features and stern countenance lent the news he brought carry more weight. The body of Liara was found along the river bank. He lightened the dark mood with news of hope. Thri Flamebeard may still be alive… oh, and the Ogre is still out there… Charleston offered to lead the party to the Ogre.. they set out post haste.

Hostile Wildlife

The travel had been fairly uneventful, the lack of bees and wildlife was disturbing, and made for a quiet walk. The party had at time, felt to presence of eyes watching them, following them.. but saw no sign of anyone. After close of two days of travel, the party set up for camp. Maresk Thorntongue drew the last watch, and just before dawn… heard a tremendous amount of rustling in the bushes. The party arose and scouted out the scene… Flying mosquito-like bug/bat/bird things (stirges) circled a struggling kenku who was all tangled up in some horrible blood-craved plants. After some preliminary attacks the party decided to team of with the Kenku to best the evil foliage and the opportunistic stirges. The Kenku was far sneakier than his brethren, and after the plants were subdued darted behind a rock to hide. The party spotted him, and interrogation began…

Bird Brain

The Kenku was tied up and the questioning began.. the chaotic finger of Nowhere and the draconic lungs of Tannim were enough to sway the bird to speak. He cackled out his name in his bird language and revealed he was ordered to spy on the town of Seaburgh and later his orders changed to spy on the party. When asked who gave him the orders.. he simply said “She did”.. He did not know her name, or refused to speak it. There was a bit of fear behind his eyes when mentioned “her”. He caw’d to be let go, that he would stop following them.. he was no threat to them.. His whimpering and cawing was too much for the mighty Goliath whose frustration got the better of him and he wacked the bird of the noggin. Now fearing for his life, the kenku became even more loud and annoying.. and readied himself for battle. Before more needless blood was spilled the soothing tones of Dyrge brought everyone back to a more reasonable state. The party was then able to glean a bit more information.. the location of the hidden rebel base…Dantooine. I mean… Murasha… their roost was in a ruined watchtower outside the ruins of Port Murasha. But there were still Ogres to defeat and dwarves to rescue.. so the bird was released and the party continued on.

At the Court of King Drooj

They reached the clearing where the Ogre was said to be residing.. and they quickly spotted him. He sat atop an old overgrown dwarven Gate Hold. The Gate Hold was a squat solid stone structure sticking out of a large hill. The Ogre had made himself at home, fire, piles of hides for sleeping.. and looked settled in for a long haul. The party decided to split up and have the Dyrge approach him and speak with him. The others followed him under the tree cover, or went around to take position above the orge on the hill. Dyrge Warsmith approached and engaged the Ogre in a dialogue.. or sorts. The Ogre seemed proud and defiant toward the dwarf, proclaiming his kingship over the “dwarf castle”. King Drooj was his name.. and he stubbornly refused to allow Dyrge to enter his castle. Dyrge’s diplomatic skills only got him so far in the negotiations with the self-proclaimed king. It became obvious to the others that Drooj seemed to be under the effects of some kind of charm… not fully himself. Drooj told of the others who were inside with their friend, and that he was unsure if the dwarf was alive. Then, a bargain.. Dyrge offered to play a song from the mighty king. Then.. the music.. oh the bagpipes! The pipes, the pipes they were a blowin’! Drooj was intrigued at first.. and then sat down to listen to the dwarf’s piping…enthralled. The bag pipes seemed to due the trick, the ogre allowed Dyrge to enter the Hold as along as he promised to play again for him on his way out. Dyrge, alone, entered the Hold. After some quick scouting the Dwarven forged hold the sneaky dwarf stepped on a rat, and seemed to alert the current residents of the structure… fleeing, he made it to the door before being discovered. Warily, he exited, played his pipes for Drooj , and once again asked to enter, this time with his friends. The Ogre agreed, as long as the dwarf agreed to owe him a “favor”. The party emerged from their hiding and entered the Gate Hold.

Intruders at the Gate

The inner hallways of the Gate Hold were adorned with ancient heraldic shields that depicted the symbol a tower breaking in half. The party’s historic knowledge told them this was the Gate Hold of the Tower Breaker Clan. The explored the hallways.. and came to the room where Dyrge was almost discovered.. the door was closed… so the mighty Dragonborn Tannim walked up to it… and knocked. The startled residents turned out to be gnomes. One wearing dark armor and a wielding a short sword; the other wore a long trench coat and brandished an evil book… or sorts. The short conversation and survey of the room left no doubt of the pair’s foul intentions.. they wanted the great ornate door at the far end of the room, and had tried to use Thri to open it. Battle ensued. Strange motes of shadow detached from the seeming “normal” shadows to hinder the party. The gnome in the trench coat turned out to be quite a spellcaster and his Curses and Eldritch Blasts, combined with his illusion magic, made him a formidable foe. The gnomes exchanged some words.. “she sent us help” and on cue, three fell taints appeared.. firing beams of pure hate at the party.. their writhing twisted forms floating in the air. The battle was long and fierce, but in the end the roguish gnome was captured.. the other foes all dead.

Interrogating the gnome revealed he was hired by the gnome arcanist to open the large door. So far, they had failed. He also did not know much of the mysterious “she” that had been mentioned. The two gnomes also both had matching tattoos on their chests… that of a 7-pointed star. The arcanist’s book revealed that they were attempting to open the door as well, but were not getting anywhere. And on the inside of the book, was the same star symbol, but modified to have two wavy lines across the star image. (the book also contained a ritual) The roguish gnome would not reveal the origins of the tattoo.. saying he would rather die first.

The Almost Final Resting Place of Thri Flamebeard

The party scouted out the rest of the Hold, discovering a room which was an old barracks… and a painting adorned the wall of an a band of dwarves storming a tower and bringing it to ruin. In another room, an old armory, they found Thri , diseased and unconscious lying on the floor… they came to his aid.. and after exploring the room, found a hidden vault in the wall containing a few magic items, a shield with a saying scratched onto the back of it, and lots of rats. The rats were easily dispatched. Thri’s fever was bad, but it was determined Thri would pull through.

The Gate Opens

Through various extrapolations.. reviving Thri for info, studying the door, examining the painting, and the shield with the saying scratched into it (“the clan rises”) the party determined a pass-phrase was needed to open the magically sealed door. The pass phrase needed to contain four keywords spoken in the correct order to open the door. Through some trial and errors, the examining of some arcane energies surrounding the door, the party determined the pass phrase. “As The Tower Crumbles, the Clan Rises” The ancient stone door of the Tower Breaker Clan Gate Hold swung open.

Inside was simple room, with no other doors. A pair of finely crafted dwarven statues stood vigil across the room, a pair of stone Tower Breaker legionnaires. Upon entering the room a stone of floor revealed itself to be a door going down into the earth. However; before they could reach it, horrible spears erupted from the ground.. a trap had been sprung! And at the same time.. the statues stepped off their pedestals and engaged the party. The statues were simple, yet stalwart foes.. and the spear trap was an troublesome hazard. In the end, the statues were reduced to rock and the spears stopped. The portal in the floor revealed a dark opening into the earth. The group opted for prudence over blind bravery, and closed up the door in the floor. They licked their wounds, sealed up the magic door behind them, gathered up their sick friend and their gnomish prisoner, and headed for home.

Explorers Needed - Apply Within

Earthynn Adventure Log 1
Explorers Needed – Apply Within

Dinner by the Bay

The quaint little town of Seaburgh doesn’t get many visitors, most of its population are regulars and residents. The town sits alone on the coast of a large bay full of fish. The people know it is full of fish, because that’s pretty much all they do… fish. And all they eat…fish. However; on this very night there were visitors. In fact, there were eight. Some had been around for a bit, others just newly strolled into town. This was an opportune time for visitors, as the mayor of Seaburgh had need of explorers.

The eight visitors gathered about in the tavern, awaiting the arrival of the mayor (whom the townsfolk say is a tough woman to track down). The meeting room of the tavern held a long wooden table about which sat a menagerie of people. Some were big, some were small, and some jolly and brimming with laughter and spiked helms. A human wanderer named Maresk Thorntoungue, who seemed as much at home in the wilds as in the city. A Dragonborn named Tannim who shined like brazen brass inside and out. A stoic and complicated Tiefling who travels anywhere and everywhere and is known as Nowhere. A Dwarf named Dyrge Warsmith with copper eyes and top-knot whose spirit could swell a crowd as intensely as his bagpipes. A rogue-ish halfling who revealed little about himself, not even his name. A Golaith that towers over the others with his tower-sized hammer, revealed little of himself but his name, Rothak Bataar. Thri Flamebeard’s dwarven laugh and red beard drew much attention during the dinner, but his good nature soothed all. Liara, the Eladrin mage; however, took great care not to draw attention to herself, but rolled her eyes a lot at the uncivilized nature of the motley dinner party. The eight strangers conversed and enjoyed the taverns hospitality. Outside through the window of the tavern’s meeting room, the waves crashed upon the coast and in the distance the ruins of the great port city of Murasha stood like an conglomerate of shadowy sentinels reeking of foreboding doom. They group was eager to explore said city of ruins.. though it would not be their destination this night. A halfling waitress shuttled in large trays of drinks and food, sliding each onto the table with effort, but always cheery, un-phased even by the pats on the butt from the dragonborn. After bringing in the final round of drinks, the waitress removed her apron and hopped up on a chair at the end of the table and introduced herself as Clara Clove, mayor of Seaburgh (and part-time waitress at the Bayside Tavern).

Her dark auburn hair was pulled up revealing her aging features. Her eyes sparkled and her green-gemstone earrings glittered as she recounted a tale of the stagnation of Seaburgh… The town has been stifled in its growth due to lack of outside contact. In order for the town to grow and prosper a reliable and ready trade route needs to be established.. new residents, industry, commerce, and contact from other towns and cities is needed. This is where the explorers come in to her plan. A visitor had shown up in Seaburgh a while back claiming to be from a town north along the river, maybe about 5 days travel. Using the river as a trade route between the two towns would allow increased commerce for both, and allow a ready waypoint for further trade with the great city of Gerhbonne to the north. They devised a plan to send some sailors up river to find this town, sadly, those sailors never returned. The new plan is to have these explorers travel up along the coast of the river by foot and scout out any hazards and dangers, map trouble spots, find the town, and return to Seaburgh with the information. Seeing as there was conveniently eight explorers in attendance, Miss Clove divided them into two groups of four, each taking a different bank of the river.

West Bank Excursion:

A Walk in the Park

The early legs of the journey were pleasant. The spring breeze blew at the backs of the stalwart west-bank exploration party and the gently soothing sound of bagpipes filled their footsteps with glee. A Tiefling, a Dwarf, a shifty Human, and a Dragonborn strolled up the river unaware of the dangers looming ahead…

Parliament of Crooks

It was on the second day that during their travels they encountered the sound of familiar laughter… a loud raucous dwarven laughter coming from the river up ahead. Upon investigation… there appeared to be a dwarven sized lump bobbing in the water just on the edge of the river. Dwarvish laughter mixed with gargling river water is odd enough, but when its supposed to be on the other side of the river it becomes even more alarming. The stalwart Dragonborn Tannim rushed to his aid, but upon closer inspection.. the dwarf was just a log doing a grand job of impersonating a dwarf! Gads! Foul log! But then the scaly, talon-ed feat of the real perpetrator vaulted it atop a log near at the river side. The crow cackled from behind his hooded cloak, revealing his black feathers and long spiked chain. His skills at impersonating dwarves was uncanny and his trap was sprung. Many others of these dark feathered men (later identified as Kenku) sprang from the trees.. some wielding stout clubs, others brandishing pairs of wicked talon-esque daggers. A quick and hard battle ensued as the explorers closed in to meet their avian adversaries. The Kenku’s ringleader caw’d orders to his birdly soldiers, directing them during the battle, all the while cawing and cackling at the party. They were; however, no match for the four explorers who combined their skills and brought about the deaths. The Kenku and their chain twirling ringleader were defeated.

Bugs from Below

Traveling ensued and after a some distance was covered the land beneath their feet, the weather and the river itself, all took a turn for the worse. The land became as swampy and deeply muddy as they approached the wetland area of the river. The weather also turned soggy, as the sunny breezy hours gave way to gusty rain filled hours, making travel a little less enjoyable and little more slow. But the river made the most direct change, and the once easily sail-able river put forth a rapid-inducing waterfall. Not one of great height, but one that would lead any northern going vessel to take to disembark and travel by land to pass it. This was indeed the case for the Seaburgh excursion as upon closer investigation, a river gong boat was found out of the water and and appeared to have been hastily dropped near some trees and left in a seemingly non-water-worthy state. Peculiar.

It was during the mulling over of said peculiarity that the bug emerged… no ordinary bug, for it was huge.. a large ant-like creature with multiple legs, mandibles, antennae, and a hunger for humanoids. It attacked from some bushes with alarming speed and snatched up Maresk in its acid-dripping mandibles and dragged him away from the party towards the shrubs he emerged from. The startled explorers came to their senses and regrouped to slay this new foe. The Ankheg brought Maresk to the bushes, where there awaited several of the bug beast’s larvae, awaiting their dinner with gaping acid soaked mouths. The party rallied together to defeat this foul insect and its kin, surviving the gripping mandibles and sprays of burning acid. A much needed rest was needed, but the inquisitive instincts of the group took hold. A hole was found, a tunnel leading below the ground…

Moldy Food

The short tunnel led into the earth and opened into a long cavern, obviously dug by the Ankheg as a brood nest. The first thing found in the nest was the smell… a sort of rotty, decaying smell. The remains of some giant bug eggs slurped in a pile along one wall, some partially eaten and decayed “food” (the remains of some poor Seaburgh sailors and other poor saps) were piled in the far corner amid various pools of sliminess and mold… and it was this very “sliminess” that attacked the poor dwarf who had crawled in to investigate. Two pools of grey colored ooze sprang into attack, as did a Green slime that was hanging out on the ceiling. During the fevered battle that ensued, some rocks came loose in the wall and a landslide became a slight complication to the battle. The durable explorers bested the grossness and shrugged off the rocks that pelted them.

Investigation of the “bodies” revealed the remains of the seaburgh river expedition and a poor lonely half-orc adventurer (who happened to have been very well equipped before he died.) The devout Dragonborn buried the remains of the fallen folk and the party gathered up their spoils of battle and moved on.

Something Weird this Way Comes

Further into the swamp they ventured.. occasionally spotting tracks of Kenku scrambling about in the mud. Late in that day a clearing was stumbled upon and flocks of crows picked at the ground and hopped about. At the far end of the clearing a group of Kenku gathered, huddled up and discussing their foul works. Dyrge looked off to his side and saw a lone crow hopping and pecking about, it looked up him inquisitively. Dyrge, being the good-natured animal-loving dwarf he is, tossed s bit of food down the the scroungy bird. The bird was delighted, so delighted that he caw’d and caw’d with glee. The Kenku at the far end of the clearing turned around at once and spied the gathered explorers. They assumed an attack formation, their flock instincts serving them well. Strange blurs in the air floated between them as another more sinister Kenku stepped up. He had white feathers mixed in with his black, his robes clung to his avian form and he shook his wicked staff in anger. The blurs in the air solidified some, but not wholly, and they appeared as strange masses of floating tentacles… but they were far from the wost thing that was seen that day. A huge floating, fleshy orb rose among them, it had one great huge eye and a gaping mouth dripping with hate. The tentacles about its head flitted about, each containing it own eye. All its eyes fixed on the exploration party.

A mighty battle ensued. Nowhere matched wits and arcane blasts with the foul Kenku Wingmage who had taken flight into a tree. The rest of the party sprang to action and began to dispatch the foul birds and their tentacled friends. The Foul Taint floating in the air wounded the minds of the party, their foul caresses chilling their souls with dark emotions. These creatures provided nuisances to the party as the Behold floated in and rained eye-rays down upon the party. The Beholder was wise enough to keep the large Dragonborn at bay with immobilizing eye-beams while it directed its more nefarious rays on the others. The battle drug on, but in the end our heroes were once again victorious. They bested the foul aberration and his lowly lackeys.

The Great Goblin Emancipation

The clearing was not made by chance…as it happens there was a collection of simple mud hovels gathered not far. They sat on an island in a ring of mud, a simple reed bridge spanned the mud, but had been trampled down by heavy avian feet. Most of the huts were rooted out, torn up and filled with black feathers, bird dung, and the leaving of flocks of nasty bird men. One hut however, was a goblin prison. A small group of goblins huddled in fear, tied up in the back of one of the huts. Some, lay still on the dirt floor. The explorers freed the wretched creatures, a small mercy to such pitiful creatures. The goblins told their tale of captivity, speaking of the sudden arrival of the Kenku . They spoke of a “bigger bird” who led them, one much scarier than the others. Beyond that they knew little beyond the confines of the prison.

The party traveled on, secure in the fact that their destination was not far, s the goblins had also informed them the town they sought was only a day travel by goblin feet. Though a goblin with said feet also decided to follow the party, and was found out quite quickly. He nervously told the party of the treasure he had buried to hide it from the Kenku , and he gave it to them as reward for freeing his people. The belt he pulled from the mud was indeed a magical treasure… After some more time, the welcome signs of civilization appeared, as did sheep.

Arrival in Sheep-town

The town of Munstown was a small agricultural town. They were known for raising livestock, mainly sheep and some other grazing animals. They were quite excited to see the adventurers and hear the tale of Seaburgh. Trade between the towns would indeed be a boon for the lives of all the citizens, and the head of Munstown, a Mr. Jonn Muston II, was ready to commit to the project. The party rested, but as of yet, the other expedition of explorers from the east side of the river had not arrived…

East Bank Excursion:

Pleasant Wanderings

The goliath, the halfling, the eladrin, and the dwarf were ferried across the river by Seaburgh’s finest. They set out to begin their journey. A rushing river. Rolling hills. Fluffy clouds. These were the sights that were seen by the intrepid east bank expedition on its first couple days out. The spring breeze was warming and the dwarf’s tales were invigorating. Thri told tales of his journeys from here to there, from hill to vale, and everywhere in between; he even told them when no one was listening. As a traveling companion, few could be equaled. The party ventured on, some birds circled in the distance, crows flying in to scavenge some food no doubt. Nothing to worry about…

A Murder of Crow-like Beings

During their third day along the river, the land turned much more wooded than earlier, follow the river became a less direct a route. Paths were taken between the trees and underbrush, all the while staying as close to the river as they could. At one point they were forced to travel inward a ways from the bank due to some large hills strewn with rocks. The passage around the hill was difficult, as the ground seemed to reject visitors with roots, rocks and weeds. This hill also proved the perfect place to launch an ambush. The odd black feathered creatures sprung down from tree branches ready to reap the rewards of the stalking, but the brave travelers were not to be caught unawares. They braced to meet the ambush, their keen senses preparing them for such eventualities. The battle ensued… most of the bird creatures were simple ruffians, using crude clubs to bludgeon their foes… but the odd creature that came after them was enough to give pause to the party. A seemingly translucent ball of tentacles hovered in the air and glided down the hill, its foul presence corrupting the very air if wafted in. It writhed as tiny eyes opens in random spots and fired beams of pure emotional anguish upon the party. The mighty Goliath rushed to meet it, but his hammer passed though it s if it wasn’t even there… The halfling flitted among the Kenku awaiting the opportune moment to strike a deadly blow, while the stalwart Thri took on all comers. Liara stood back and sent waves of arcane energy into the foes. The distraction worked – with their attention on the foul thing on the hill, no one saw the Kenku stalking from behind. This one brandished a wicked sword and struck out from the shadows, nearly crippling Liara with one blow. Thri rushed to her aid just in time, leveling his axe against the sneaky Kenku’s chest. The battle raged on, and the party bested their assailants. They rested afterwords.. and odd realization was discovered. The body of the back-stabbing Kenku was nowhere to be found. Nothing could be done of it; progress must be made. The party set out to continue the exploration.

Signpost to the Past

As night approached, the explorers moved into the trees to secure a campsite for the evening. It was then that Liara noticed the strange bit of terrain. There was a odd stone obelisk in the area they chose to camp at. It stood about 4 feet tall, old, cracked, and covered with moss and age. Thri’s eyes lit up when he gazed upon it. he explained that it is a road sign, and ancient road sign pointing the way to one of the Gate Holds guarding the entrance to one of the Vein’s of the Earth (dwarven underground “roads”) Thri’s explanation was that this was an ancient one that had long been closed off.. but the Gate Hold may still be standing. Thri was ready to head off in search of it immediately, but the party talked him out of it and kept him on task.

Ogres in the Mist

The next morning found them back along the river’s edge, continuing the trek northward. The rain had began to fall during the night, and the ground remained hilly, wooded and rough. A thick mist drifted in along from the river. The morning walk brought them upon some disturbing tracks in the mud. Tracks that could only belong to a huge humanoid creature, and they were fresh. The dwarf and goliath were on edge immediately, both having knowledge of giants. These were tracks belonging to an Ogre. Just as the team was about to debate their next course of action a huge rock flew from out of the brush and struck Liara in the chest. her limp form tumbled into the trees. Thri instantly sprang to action and despite warnings from his fellows, charged into the bushes. He then immediately flew back out of the bushes as the Ogre’s club/tree trunk smacked into him. The Ogre strode out of the bushes laughing.. “HA.. Little Dwarf! Your dwarf castle belongs to us now! grunt” A battle ensued and it quickly became apparent it was a losing one. The party tried to regroup and flee, but the Ogre pressed on. Soon it became an all out run. The halfling sought out Liar’s form, but she was no more, her body broken. Thri urged the others to flee and took up a position in the rear of the party and at one point turned to slow the Ogre’s pursuit… it was the last time the others saw him. The mighty Goliath and the cunning halfling ran for the rest of the day and into the night. The Ogre gave up pursuit after a while, and when the party finally stopped to rest, they found they were deep in the woods, and lost. It took most of the following day to regain their bearings. They searched for a bit to try and locate Thri’s body, but were unable to. So they hit the river bank and continued the journey, hoping to find civilization and regain their strength and lick their wounds. Later the following day, they found their way to the river’s bend, and crossed over to arrive at Munstown battered, bloody and tired.

The Return to Seaburgh

The six explorers gathered together and made the journey back to Seaburgh along the west bank of the river. The return journey was uneventful other than some rainy weather. Upon arriving back in the village the explorers settled in for some rest. It took some time to locate Clara Clove, asking about, looking in the usual places, but word is eventually sent that she would meet up with the party back at the tavern. Dinner and drinks were free that night, as well as lodgings in the Inn for all of the surviving explorers. Clara also provides each member of the party with 5 Gold and 20 Silver. handed over to each in small bag. She also presents each person with a necklace… the necklaces are simple silver rectangles with an odd dark green shard of a gemstone set in the center. they are attached to a leather thong and Clara, standing on a chair for some, hangs it about each person neck. The gemstone shards are really odd, they are an odd dark green and seem to soak in the light. There is very nice etching along the silver taking the form of waves. Clara explains that they were crafted by a local artisan with a knack for jewelry. The gemstones however, have their own little story she explains. The town has taken to calling them Seaburgh Stones, and several have been found over the years since the town’s inception. Always found by the town’s hunters and usually near the ruins of Murasha . They became kind of a peculiarity among the townsfolk, and would get passed and traded all over the town. Some saw them as good luck, other bad. The inquisitiveness of the party always takes over, but after studying various properties of the stones, they are not magical. They seem to contain an almost faint touch of magic, more like a residual faded aura of some long lost enchantment. (They have no magical in-game properties that you can discern, and they do not count as taking up a neck slot item. Everyone should write Seaburgh Stone Amulet on their character sheets) Clara expressed her undying gratitude, and her excitement for Seaburgh’s future was palpable.

A blog for your campaign

While the wiki is great for organizing your campaign world, it’s not the best way to chronicle your adventures. For that purpose, you need a blog!

The Adventure Log will allow you to chronologically order the happenings of your campaign. It serves as the record of what has passed. After each gaming session, come to the Adventure Log and write up what happened. In time, it will grow into a great story!

Best of all, each Adventure Log post is also a wiki page! You can link back and forth with your wiki, characters, and so forth as you wish.

One final tip: Before you jump in and try to write up the entire history for your campaign, take a deep breath. Rather than spending days writing and getting exhausted, I would suggest writing a quick “Story So Far” with only a summary. Then, get back to gaming! Grow your Adventure Log over time, rather than all at once.